Cupid
by Raziel the Selkie
Summary: A drabble about Lulu and the other supports' feelings towards Varus, a rather popular ADC.


"Mister Varus?"

The archer looked down at Lulu, who peered up at him from beneath the brim of her hat. Lulu bit her lip, wondering if she should ask the question or not.

Varus looked at her expectantly while quirking a brow. "Yes?"

Lulu clutched at the sides of her oversized hat, pulling the brim down as she took a deep breath. "Sometimes you hold that pendant and look so sad. Why?"

Usually, Varus would take the time to answer Lulu's questions, no matter how ridiculous they were. Though it seemed he wouldn't answer this one, as Varus's expression took on a pinched look.

"Not today, Lulu."

And that was that, so Lulu stopped asking questions. She didn't want to see Varus look like that again.

When Varus and Lulu practiced their teamwork together, the archer didn't speak a word. Lulu wanted to say something, anything to chase away the silence. Granted, Varus wasn't the talkative type-it was mostly Lulu who spurred on a conversation. Yet Varus's silence spoke more than words could.

It was then that Lulu realized she didn't know a lot about Varus. When they talked with one another, she would talk about herself, but she never really asked anything about him. Perhaps Varus intended it to be that way. But Lulu was his friend, or at least, she hoped so. Varus looked like he needed a friend, especially since he looked so lonely.

An idea came to Lulu. She would ask the other supports that laned with Varus about him. It wouldn't hurt, right?

The first person that Lulu asked was Thresh. Personally, Lulu thought that Mister Thresh was very scary and had a creepy laugh, but he was very good at what he did and he laned with Varus quite often. Lulu approached the specter, gathering up the courage to speak.

"Um…Mister Thresh?" Lulu asked tentatively while Pix whizzed underneath her hat, trembling.

Thresh turned, and when his ghostly visage was directed at her, Lulu pulled the brim of her hat down over her eyes so that she wouldn't make eye contact with him. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea-maybe she should ask someone else. Pix muttered something unintelligible in the Fae language, which only Lulu could understand, before Thresh stepped closer and hovered over the Yordle. Lulu was practically pulling her hat down over herself, as though she could disappear right inside.

"If it isn't the Fae Sorceress," Thresh commented, before saying. "Ah, at least have the courtesy to look me in the eye when you're addressing me."

Lulu peeked out from beneath her hat, trying to stare Thresh straight in the eye. The flames surrounding his disembodied head danced madly, and Lulu imagined that she could see the screaming faces of souls writhing in them.

"Um…I w-was just wondering if…you could answer a few questions," Lulu said, her eyes darting away from Thresh.

Thresh cackled at this as he began spinning the chain with the sickle at the end. Lulu skipped out of the way as the blade dug into the earth. "Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. However, you might persuade me with compensation."

Lulu swallowed at this, her eyes widening as she looked at Thresh again. "Y-You mean…my soul?"

Thresh continued to laugh, seeming to find amusement in Lulu's fearful reaction. He then knelt down to pat Lulu on the head, before he seemed to smile and say, "Just kidding~"

Lulu's heart still beat in her chest. The Chain Warden was notorious for a warped sense of humor. However, she was determined to get answers, even if Thresh scared her out of her wits. "I want to talk to you about Varus."

The spindly extensions protruding from Thresh's skull straightened out a bit, which indicated that he was intrigued. He stopped spinning the chain with the sickle, before saying, "What about him?"

"What do you know about him?" Lulu asked, hoping to get this done as quickly as possible.

Thresh considered for a moment, before saying, "He is a rather melancholy soul, a once virtuous one with honor that was tarnished with a lust for revenge. Interesting, isn't it?"

"Revenge?" Lulu said, her ears perked up a bit. Now she was curious.

The specter shrugged at this. "That is what I read from his soul's aura. Though he is also one of the most resilient souls that I've seen…it would be a shame if…he suddenly snapped."

Thresh laughed at this rather inappropriately. Lulu took a step back, curtseying a bit before hastily saying, "Thank you very much, Mister Thresh. I gotta go though, so see ya!"

With that, Lulu zoomed away using her haste spell to get as far away as possible from Thresh. He still unnerved her, and Lulu wondered what he saw in her soul aura. Though that was a question to be answered in another time-if she decided to talk to Thresh again.

The next person that Lulu decided to contact was Sona. After talking with Thresh, Lulu needed Sona's calming music and auras. Once she made her way to the area that Sona performed, where a rather large thong of people were gathered, Lulu struggled to see the Maven through the crowd. Unfortunately, if Lulu stood on her tiptoes, she barely came up to a person's waist. If someone were to look at the scene from a bird's eye view, one would see a curious red cap bobbing among the wave of people.

Sona seemed to notice Lulu's presence, however, and she performed a final melody that rippled throughout the crowd that soothed everyone and also made them a bit sleepy. The crowd started to yawn, blinking their eyes and seemed disoriented, wondering where they all were. They then shrugged, before parting away, leaving only Lulu and Sona alone on the street.

"I'm sorry to disturb you during a performance," Lulu said. "But I have to ask you something super important. It's about Varus."

Sona nodded in response, before she began to play a soothing tune to help ease Lulu's nerves. She sensed the Yordle's distress-it seemed that the Maven had an empathetic connection with other people and communicated with people through her music. Lulu didn't understand how Sona communicated through her etwahl-though apparently Pix did. Pix would listen to the notes that Sona would play, before translating them for Lulu.

_Good day, Fae Sorceress, _Sona communicated through her etwahl, strumming the strings with a magician's flourish. _I'm willing to answer any questions that you may have. It is also a delight talking with you, and I wish to rest a bit from performing. What would you like to know about Varus?_

"Well, it's just…" Lulu said while she held her hands together, looking down at the ground. "I asked a question that I shouldn't have and I made Varus sad. I lane with him all the time, but I really don't know that much about him."

Sona considered this for a moment, before saying, _He has a certain kindness and gentleness to him. I've seen him play with the children in the League. Though he might have changed from the man that he once was, he is still a good man at heart. He simply needs some guidance along the way from the path that he has taken._

Lulu nodded. That was certainly a different picture then what Thresh told her.

"Mister Varus doesn't hate me, does he?" Lulu asked while looking down at the ground, kicking a pebble with the toe of her boot.

Sona smiled reassuringly, playing a tune on her etwahl that communicated tinkling laughter, before saying, _I have seen you lane with Varus. He seems to perform his best when he's with you. I think that the two of you…shall I say it…?...make a sublime duet._

Lulu perked up at this, smiling widely as she waved farewell to the Maven. "Thanks Sona! That really cheered me up! Oh, and good luck at your Pentakill concert! It's going to be splendiferous! I can't wait!"

Sona smiled, bowed, before playing out a parting note on her etwahl.

Lulu thought that she was starting to get a better picture of who Varus was, though she figured it wouldn't hurt to ask a couple of other people. She asked every support that laned with Varus everything that she could, and they gave her these answers.

Taric mentioned that Varus is a fastidious person and kept up his personal appearance. Like Varus, Taric was a quiet person who liked to keep to himself, despite the fact that he was an icon among the League of Legends. He, however, was rather generous in his comments about Varus, saying that he and Varus had good synergy together when laning, and that Varus asked the Gem Knight if he could craft a beautiful gem for him. Taric never asked why, though Taric mentioned to Lulu that the gem was probably for sentimental value, much like the pendant that he wore around his neck. He also mentioned that the gem in Varus's pendant was a rare variety that was found within the rich Ionian ore mines that are spread throughout the country.

Soraka was a healer of many ailments-people often came to her when they sought a cure for whatever malady that was afflicting them. Not only did Soraka cure physical illnesses, but she also believed in the balance of the mind leading to a healthy body. Soraka mentioned that Varus would refuse her help for staving off the corruption within his body. Soraka mentioned that Varus was a troubled young man, though he tried to keep all his problems to himself. She worried about him, much like a mother would. The divine enchantress also mentioned that Varus didn't eat much and his complexion looked paler than usual.

Janna mentioned that Varus was a man who had a great injustice done to him. She didn't know about his past or how the corruption that overcame him came to be, though she knew from the look in his eyes and the way that he carried himself, the way that he trained and fought. He would shoot his arrows with great determination, unerring marks taking down several minions that would come into lane. Varus never stopped training with his bow and arrow, and he would practice day and night, even if his body was on the verge of collapsing. She then mentions that Varus would sometimes look at the sky with a longing expression on his face, watching the birds aloft in the air with an inexplicable sadness.

Blitzcrank said he did not understand fleshlings, nor did he understand how their minds worked or what emotions that they went through, though Blitzcrank thought that he learned more about fleshlings through Varus. The steam golem said that the most complex people are the most fragile ones. When Lulu asked what Blitzcrank meant by that, Blitzcrank went to say that he was made of many complex parts, spurred into autonomy through a mixture of techmaturgy and magic. Despite being a sentient creature that functioned on his own, Blitzcrank said that he could be dismantled and broken apart. Sometimes he needed oil changes or repairs after going on the Fields of Justice, and there are times when Blitzcrank would go into 'sleep' mode. When Blitz went into 'sleep' mode, he became the thing that he was before-a dumb, unthinking lump of metal and parts. He then said that fleshlings are made of many complex parts, yet they are delicate. The steam golem also mentioned that sentience can also be a burden-thinking creatures' self-awareness could lead to existential depression. Varus was a complex fleshling, more complex than most-therefore it meant that he was the most fragile.

Alistar mentioned that Varus and him were similar. He knew a tortured soul when he saw one. However, Alistar added a bit of his own life story when it came to his conversation with Lulu. Alistar mentioned the horrors of the Fleshing he had to face, and the scars that he bore were testament to the pain he endured. He said, if it were not for the kindness of a girl that helped him escape, Alistar would have been driven into madness. Alistar said that Varus was just like him-on the brink of falling into the darkest depths of despair which would lead into desperation, and then desperation would lead into the violence of a man who fought with nothing else to lose. The Minotaur then mentioned that perhaps Lulu was like the girl that saved him to Varus-a light in the darkness.

Leona said that Varus was a dedicated warrior. He fought well and with poise. Leona also mentioned that Varus was a man who did not fear death. He fought with the desperation of a man who thought he had nothing else. Leona saw many warriors fight this way before, and it had led to their deaths. The Iron Solari then mentioned that there a purpose in Varus's fighting, the way he trained. He wanted to protect something, something that he valued more than his own life. Leona thought that it was rather foolish that he went into battle seeking to die, though she said it was admirable of him to have something worth protecting. The warrior then smiled, saying that Varus was a worthy warrior and she enjoyed fighting by his side.

The last person that Lulu asked was Zilean, who seemed to be in a constant daze. Zilean foresaw many futures and timelines all at once, and the elder Champion sometimes needed prompting back to the present. When Zilean went off on a tangent about some apocalyptic future where giants would take over the world and devour all the humans in their wake, Lulu then asked Zilean about the history of Ionia. Zilean then went onto a long lecture about the strife between Noxus and Ionia, and it was then that Lulu understood. Even though Zilean talked a lot (more than Lulu, actually), Lulu was fascinated by his stories and she asked what he personally thought of Varus. The old man then said that Varus was a 'fine lad' and despite being young, Varus had an 'old soul'. Young people age quicker than they should, Zilean had said while shaking his head, before he went on to mutter about aliens feeding off the despair of young girls.

Once Lulu pieced together everything everyone else, she then decided that she would talk to Varus. She ran as fast as she could, trying to find the archer. She found him atop a hill, looking at the sunset. Lulu paused, before leaping onto his back and hugging him from behind.

"I'm so sorry about what I said before," Lulu said in a great rush. "But you know, Varus, I'm always here to listen, anytime. You don't have to tell me now, but if you let the pain grow bigger and bigger inside you, then you'll just explode into a big pile of sad and I don't want that!"

Lulu then detached herself from Varus's neck, before she went on. "I went around asking the other supports about you. They only had good things to say about you. Even though you lost something important, even if you think that you lost everything, you still have something here in the League. There are people who really care about you…you know?"

Lulu then hid under her hat again, not sure how Varus would react to all this. When she felt her hat being lifted from her head, she felt a feather-light kiss atop the crown of her brow.

"Thank you, Lulu."


End file.
